Convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, he was forced to leave his family behind. For 15 years, he lived alone with thoughts of vengeance polluting his head.

Upon returning, he sought revenge by murder with the help of an admirer.

This character, Sweeney Todd, makes you feel like you are with an “emotional roller coaster.”

Chris Ebke, senior in music, will portray Sweeney Todd beginning Thursday for the http://www.theatre.iastate.edu/“>ISU Theatre production of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s award–winning musical-thriller, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Ebke was first attracted to the role because the script is tragic yet beautiful at the same time, and the character he’s playing is so complex.

He said that although the part is very rewarding, it sometimes leaves him feeling like he’s riding an emotional roller coaster.

For Ebke, this will be his last performance at Iowa State, but he’s excited to be able to play an opera on this scale to end his college career.

“I think a lot a people’s dream is to be in Sweeney Todd, let alone the lead in ‘Sweeney Todd,’” Ebke said. “I love it. I think it’s a perfect show to end on.”

Ebke said learning his part was a pretty big challenge because the music is so complex and his part involves singing and speaking lines.

To help him understand the opera, Ebke started by watching old Broadway performances of “Sweeney Todd.” He said he didn’t care for the Tim Burton-directed cinematic adaptation that starred Johnny Depp.

When Ebke was cast as Sweeney Todd, Brad Dell, assistant professor of music, said it was his voice among other qualities that helped him receive the part.

“I think he has the maturity to do this role, and in general, he had the emotional intensity to handle the role,” Dell said. “I felt like he was so vocally strong and had the tenor and timbre in his voice that it made some sense to cast him for the character of Sweeney Todd.”

After this semester, Ebke will student teach high school vocal music in the Ames area.

He said one of the things he’s enjoyed most about attending Iowa State and being a music major is the closeness he’s had with his colleges and his fellow peers.

James Rodde, professor of music and director of choral activities, is just one of many who see Ebke as more than just a student.

“Some of the memories I have of Chris are not only his musical abilities as a singer, but his ability also as an actor,” Rodde said. “He has a beautiful voice, and he is very clever as an actor. He seems to be a natural ability on stage playing a character and then also a beautiful resident voice.”

Ebke has been the featured soloist at many concerts and was the featured performer in Musical Theater Cabinet Show in 2007.

Some of his other ISU shows include “The Music Man,” “My Fair Lady” and “The Marriage of Figaro.”

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Nov. 5-7), 2 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 8)

Where: Fisher Theater

Cost: $12 for students, $19 for adults, $17 for seniors

After Sweeney Todd gets convicted and does time in jail for something he didn’t do, he returns to London 15 years later to find his wife dead from suicide because of the judge’s awful actions. With the help of a woman in a bakery, he seeks out revenge.